Location: Nigeria
Founder: Karo Omu, of The Sanitary Aid Initiative
Objective: To provide free sanitary products including pads, soaps, wipes, disinfectant, clean underwear etc, to girls from low-income families across public schools, and girls in Internally Displaced Persons Camps across the country.
Period poverty refers to a lack of access to sanitary pads and products. It encompasses the financial constraints restricting access to these products, hygienic spaces in which to use them, and the shame and stigma attached to menstruation. Aside from being a potential health risk, period poverty jeopardises the education and well-being of the women affected. S.A.N.G (Sanitary Aid for Nigerian Girls) was created in 2017 by The Sanitary Aid Initiative to combat this phenomenon in the 65% of Nigerian women affected.
Since then, it has raised over 1 million naira towards the purchase of sanitary products for girls. Each month, a Sanitary Drive is hosted in Lagos to increase engagement, spread awareness, and collate donations for the cause. S.A.N.G has also created a handbook to educate girls on the menstrual cycle, and demystify a topic that is otherwise whispered about due to the stigma surrounding it.